Battle of Worcester

Battle of Worcester, (3 September 1651). The long-drawn-out conflict between Royalists and their opponents across the British Isles, which had started in Scotland in 1639 and spread to Ireland and then England by 1642, finally came to an end at Worcester in 1651. It was a scrappy battle, but it ensured the survival of the English republic.

Oliver Cromwell’s defeat of the Scots at Battle of Dunbar in 1650 had not ended the threat from Scotland. In June 1651, after a lengthy illness had halted his campaign, Cromwell headed north to threaten the Scottish stronghold of Stirling. He deliberately left open the road to England. The new king, Charles II, fell into the trap. At the head of the Scottish army, he marched south down the west coast. Cromwell ordered Lieutenant-General John Lambert’s cavalry troop to follow him, ordered a second force to move across country from Newcastle to Warrington, and a third, militia from the midlands, to move north.

Once he had taken Perth, Cromwell led his main army south down the east coast, covering around 20 miles (32 km) a day and collecting reinforcements as he went. All four English armies then converged on the Scots at Worcester. The Scots were hopelessly outnumbered, their 16,000 troops facing 30,000 English, of whom 20,000 were well-trained and disciplined members of the New Model Army. The initial English assault from the south and east of the town pushed the Scots back toward Worcester. Stubborn Scottish resistance in the south forced Cromwell to send reinforcements, leaving his east flank exposed. Charles ordered two sorties to exploit this weakness, which was quickly filled by Cromwell’s return. English troops were then able to push the Scots back into Worcester, soon capturing the city itself. The Royalist cause lost, Charles fled into exile in France.